Breaking Through the Darkness
by Crazee Pyro
Summary: Beyblade tournaments hold a lot of surprises.  But what surprises will be in store for Minami as she enters the tournament for a second time?  ReiOC  CHAPTER THREE IS UP, PEOPLE!  PLEASE REVIEW!
1. Friends?

**Hello, Everyone! I'm glad you decided to check out my first story on It may start out a little rocky, but it gets better, I promise!** ** After you read Chapter one, make sure you submit a review. I need all the help I can get. **** Thanks!**

**Written by: the Author of Awesomeness**

**Disclaimer: Sadly, I don't own Beyblade. But thanks to Takao Aoki, we have all these fanfics to write!**

**Friends?**

"Yeah, we're heading back today." Minami informed a dark-haired teen.

"Us, too. Wow, it' hard to believe that the tournament is already over. It seems like we just met." Rei replied looking in Minami's direction.

The two were in the BBA hotel's stadium room that held the tourney's final round just two days earlier. It ended with the Bladebreakers as winner. Now everyone had to go home and prepare for next year's battles. Minami's team had entered for the first time this year, and had done pretty well.

"Our plane leaves in a few hours." Minami states looking at her watch.

"Yeah…so, I guess this is goodbye. You are coming back next year, right?" Rei asks. Minami slightly smiles and nods once.

"Next time, the Beastbladers won't fall so easily." she smirks. Rei laughs as they part, glancing at her one last time before they separate back to their team rooms.

_4 hours later /Minami's POV/_

"Hm…you're being more quiet than normal, Minami-san. Are you OK?" Kyotu asks her fellow team captain as the plane takes off from the BBA airport.

"I know her problem. You miss that Rei kid don't ya?" Jeong taunts her with a joking grin. Minami turns to him, an angry glare apparent in her eyes.

"Shut up Jeong." she says and goes back to looking out the window.

"Yeah quit picking on her. I'm gonna miss the Bladebreakers, too." Bushi comes to his sister's rescue from the oncoming teasing, obviously being plotted in his teammates' vile minds. Kyotu and Jeong agree to his last statement.

"That's why we have to work twice as hard this year, so we won't lose at the tournament next year." Jeong encourages them, looking heroic for a moment. Then his stomach growls. "Eh, but right now, I need FOOD!" he exclaims, hungrily searching for the airline peanuts that he was sure he got on his way in. Bushi sweatdrops, and Kyotu disgustedly shakes her head. Minami looks at the rest of the team out of the corner of her eye, then pulls her iPod out hoping to zone them out on the long plane ride home.

_With Rei_

The plane had just pulled off. He sat next to the window and looked at the ground below…and Tyson was arguing with the airline lady for extra food.

"Tyson, enough already!" Kenny shouts, trying to hold him back before he attacks the lady.

"Tyson, alright, take mine!" Rei hands him his own tray of food before turning back to the window with a sigh.

"Hey thanks!" Tyson says, almost already halfway through it.

"Rei, is something wrong?" Max asks him, concerned.

"I guess I'm thinking about the Beastbladers. They seemed like a pretty good team." Rei replies.

"Yeah, feasting with Jeong was **fun**!" Tyson grins as he swallows the last bit of food. The Chief takes this as a chance to open Dizzi, his trusty laptop.

"The stats of that team almost match our own. Especially that Minami person, she has some real unlocked power inside her blade. Her and her Bit Beast's readings are off the charts. It's a wonder the Bladebreakers and them didn't face off in the finals." Kenny reports, looking through his thick brown hair at the screen of his computer. At the mention of Minami's name, Rei swiftly turns back to the window in haste. No one seemed to notice this act except for Kai who was seated in the back of the plane, looking like he was already asleep.-

_Minami-san…I didn't even get her number… _Rei thinks.

_1 year later_

After a year of training, the Beastbladers felt like they were ready for anything. They had all matured and learned much more about Bit Beasts and about teamwork. Jeong had a more defensive fighting style, Bushi trained more in running and martial arts, Kyotu was more fanatic of Max as ever, and well, Minami…she had become more quiet and to herself than before. But all had one common goal: to beat the Bladebreakers.

After the plane landed in Tokyo, Japan, the scene for this year's tournament, the team made their way into the airport.

"So, are you looking for Rei?" Kyotu joked around to Minami. The team captain shot her friend a glare.

"I only have one thing on my mind…beyblading." Minami answered harshly as she walked forward. Kyotu just shrugged. But secretly, Minami was desperately searching for the young Bladebreaker teen. Suddenly, she spotted his grinning face not far away. Then she noticed whom he was laughing with; the White Tigers team…namely Mariah. Seeing them together made something weird well up inside her. _What am I feeling? _Then she swiftly walked past him, her team trailing behind.

_With Rei_

The Bladebreakers exited the plane. The BBA airport held nothing but chaos. Tourists and pedestrians hoping to get a glimpse at a professional beyblader were milling around. Then Rei heard a familiar voice.

"Rei! I'm so glad you're here!" Mariah squealed as she raced up to him. The other White Tigers join the excited girl.

"Hey, it's good to see you, too guys." Rei greeted his old friends with a wide smile. Then he felt a gust of wind fly past him as a team marched by. _Whoa…_Rei thinks to himself as he watches the teen in the lead with fascination. All of a sudden, DJ Jazzman's voice came over the intercom.

"Attention everyone! The Beastbladers and the Bladebreakers have just arrived. Let's give them a big welcome!" he shouts, too loud for his own sake.

_No way that was Minami?! _Rei leaves the White Tigers and tries to catch up to her. Just as he reaches her team, a massive crowd of fans run up and surrounds him and Beastbladers.

"KYAA! It's Rei!!!"

"Jeong! Eat my hot dog!"

"EEEEE! BUSHI-KUN!!"

"Minami! Sign my forehead!"

"Isn't Kyotu so **cute**?!"

Cameras were flashing and pens with autograph books were being shoved into the bladers' faces.

"Minami-san!!" Rei yells over the roar of the herd of people. Minami suddenly turns around, a look of surprise in her eyes.

"C'mon, let's go." he shouts as he grabs Minami's wrist and pulls her away from the large crowd. At that moment, Jeong steps up to the group of people with a heroic look, just before the crowd tackles him with shrieks of excitement.

After dodging the following crowd through various staircases and hallways of the airport, Rei pulls the clueless Minami into an elevator.

"Minami-san, is it really you?" Rei asks, after they catch their breath.

"Hmph. You're looking at her." she answers firmly, showing no emotion on her face. But inside, her heart was racing.

"You look…different." Rei says with a small smile. And it was true. Minami was wearing darker clothes and had brown highlights in her black hair. The tough look only made her more attractive…well to Rei anyway.

"Really…" Minami remarks dimly, "And you got taller." she continues in a monotone raising one eyebrow.

"So, what have you been up to this year?" Rei asks, unfazed.

"Training…what else?" Minami answers, looking off to the side. Rei chuckles softly.

"That sounds so like you." he gives her one of his famous toothy grins. Minami looks away.

"I think the crowd left." she states, motioning to the silent hallway outside the elevator door.

"Yeah, so do you want to meet up with your team?" the young neko-jin asks her. He gets a grunt in reply.

"They can take care of themselves. Besides…" Minami leaps up to the vent in the top of the elevator, "…I prefer this way." And disappears into the shaft.

_Hm…_Rei thinks as he cautiously exits into the hallway, ready to duck away from any awaiting fans.

_Hours later in the Beastbladers' hotel suite_

A rattling noise is heard as Minami jumps through an open window in the kitchen area. She glances around and sees that none other than the cousins, Kyotu, and a very angry looking Jeong, is occupying the room.

"Hm. So you finally show. Where have you been?" Kyotu asks her, trying to hide a smirk. Minami ignores the question.

"Where's Bushi?" is all she says, looking into the other rooms.

"Training." Kyotu simply replies. Minami nods, then gives Jeong a look out of the corner of her eye.

"What's your problem?! I had to drag all your luggage AND mine up here, no thanks to you! And I had to do it dodging that massive crowd of attacking fangirls!" Jeong shouts, ranting. His head was literally giving off steam.

"Well I guess that makes you somewhat of a gentleman." Kyotu retorts evilly to her cousin. "Pulled into an elevator, eh?" she says as she turns to Minami. "What were you two doing in there?" Minami turns to her friend with a surprised glare.

"I bet you and Rei were -" Jeong gets cut off as a random airborne apple hits him in the side of the head. He slumps to the floor as he passes out. Satisfied, Minami drops her throwing hand back down to her side. Obviously thankful for the peace and quiet in the suite now that Jeong had finally shut up, Kyotu dropped the Minami+Rei subject.

"So, do want anything for dinner?" she questions the teen. Minami glances at her, then swiftly turns on her heel and heads back to the window.

"I'm fine…" she replies to her teammate as she leaps through into the darkening night.

_Outside_

Minami spots her brother blading in the outside Beystadium. She watches in the shadows for a bit, then reveals herself.

"Oh, hi Minami-san!" Bushi greets her with a grin.

"Hey…" Minami answers, scoping out the surroundings, looking for any snoopers.

"I've got a cool new super attack! Do you want to see it?" he asks excitedly.

"Not yet. Haven't I told you not to use this dish? There could be people watching your tactics and fighting style. Do you want to be beaten tomorrow at the first round of the tournament?" she scolds the samurai-looking youth. Bushi looks down.

"Oh yeah…I'm sorry…" he says, crestfallen.

"Oh well, you can show me the attack tomorrow by helping to defeat the Demolition Boys," she tells him, "But now you need to go back to the hotel and rest." as she gives him a sisterly pat on the head.

"OK. Don't train too late tonight." a smile breaking through on his young face.

_No can do…_she thinks as she watches her brother walk away. Suddenly, Minami sees a bush rustle behind her.

**Well, that's Chapter one of this awesome story! I hope it got you hooked. Please, if you liked it, or even if you didn't like it, REVIEW! It's not that hard...just click the little button at the bottom of the page and write me a couple sentences or two about your reaction. Chapter two ****should be coming soon to a computer near you!**


	2. A Stalker in the Shadows?

**Hi again!**

**This is chapter two and it's a little longer than my last one, so enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Beyblade. But I do own all of the made up characters in this fic!**

* * *

**A Stalker in the Shadows?**

The bush rustled louder. And suddenly, a very prickly Rei emerges, leaves, rosebush thorns, and all.

"YOU! You were watching him train!" Minami accused the poor teen as he tried to brush off the remains of plant life all over his white blading outfit. Rei frowns slightly.

"No I wasn't. I just got here. I was outside, and I heard voices so I came over. Why would I stand in rose bushes all day?" he adds the last part with a joking smile. Minami sighs, not knowing if she should trust him. "Sorry if I mad you feel uncomfortable earlier…I was just so happy to see you. This year has gone by so slow. Last year's tourney was way fun, especially after we met you guys." Rei continues.

"Well good for you. Do you have a reason of being out here?" Minami asks putting on a leave-me-alone look. Rei looks taken back.

"Uh, no…I usually come out here before I head in for the night. Besides, I thought I would see you out here." he explains, glancing down at her. Minami looks away.

"I just don't like being sympathized over." she replies, trying to slow her quickening heart rate.

"I know…"

"But thanks…I guess…" Minami says, before she turns away and disappears into the shadows of the trees. Rei's face holds a small smile as he heads back toward the hotel. But just before he reaches the doors, he hears something or someone behind him. He turns back, but sees no one.

_The Next Day_

That morning was what you would call "perfect". The sun was out and no clouds in the sky were to be found. The temperature was not too hot and not too cold. A slight breeze was blowing. Excitement was nipping at everyone's heels, for the first round of the tournament started that afternoon. And everyone was anxious to see what the Beastbladers, still a new team, would show them. As eager fans rushed into the stadium, the team was wondering where their "special" team captain was. It wasn't the first time that she hadn't been there when the team's round started.

"Hello everybody! And welcome to the first round of this year's international tournament!" DJ shouts excitedly into his famous microphone, " Let's introduce the competing teams! Please welcome the Demolition Boys! Their team captain, Tala, looks ready for a good match." he continues as a very tough looking group of teens enter from the left side of the arena, led by a red-haired youth. "And let's see who the defending team will be! Oh, the Beastbladers! But what's this? Their captain, Minami, isn't here. Will this mean a loss on their part?"

The Beastbladers trudge into the arena from the opposite side. Bushi looks embarrassed, and Jeong is grinning with pride as he hears a group of fangirls scream his name. But a very furious Kyotu leads the group. As thy reach their bench, Kyotu hears what DJ says about their possible loss.

"I swear…if she doesn't show up this time…" she mutters through gritted teeth, pounding her fist into her hand.

From the opposing side of the stadium, the Demolition Boys look over at the Beastbladers.

"What's this? The famous Minami isn't here to face me? She's the only one worth fighting on that idiotic team. This should be an easy win for us." Tala says to himself, scornfully.

But after the first two battles, the score is tied 1-1. Kyotu's scowl is replaced by a cold sweat as she realizes that for the last round, she will have to face Tala. Their captain still hasn't shown up. As she steps up to the dish, she takes a nervous look over her shoulder. Just then, a very serious looking Minami appears out of the right entrance of the arena.

"Kyotu-chan. I've got this one." she commands as she walks up to the stadium. Kyotu sits back down, relief apparent all over her face. As Minami turns to face her opponent, Tala smirks and starts trash talking.

"So, you think you think you're all cool showing up to your own battle late? I think you need to be knocked down a notch or two. Wolborg and I'll wipe that smug look off of your face." he smirks. Minami raises one eyebrow.

"Hm…that's not very nice. Whoever came up with that hair style definitely was making fun of you." she smirks just as evilly. "Prepare for your blade to be crushed." she glares and gets into launching position.

"READY?! 3…2…1…LET IT RIP!" DJ shouts into his microphone.

Both blades land in the stadium and don't waste any time to start attacking each other. Minami looks down at her red and black blade; satisfaction runs through her eyes as if everything is going according to plan. Tala looks from her then down to his blade. Tired of the continuous, similar attacks, he calls out his first move.

"Enough, Wolborg! Now show her your real power! Crystal Darts!" Tala yells as Wolborg starts shooting ice all over the dish.

"Ha! You call that a super attack?" Minami says mockingly, ""Flarien! Dodge that!" she shouts. But even the trickiest fox couldn't move on that slick ice.

"Aaaahh!" Minami exclaims in pain as the icy daggers hit her left arm and her blade. But she quickly recovers. "I guess you are a little good…I'll give you that." She pants as Tala cackles evilly. "But, your victory laugh is over. Flarien! Show him how strong you really are!" she yells as blood drips down from her arm. But once again, her blade doesn't respond to her command. "What?! C'mon! Show your new super attack!"

"Hm. Your Bit Beast won't listen to you, huh? Time for me to finish you off. Go Wolborg!" Tala bellows as a huge wolf appears above his blade. An evil glint matching Tala's is apparent in the large white wolf's eyes.

"Nooo! Flarien, Now!" Minami shouts, still in pain. All of a sudden, the stadium starts to glow a fiery crimson color as the icy coat on the dish begins to melt. Flames surround Flarien as it charges toward Wolborg with great speed. The next moment, Wolborg is seen flying from the stadium, Flarien still barely spinning inside.

"Winner! Beastbladers!" DJ makes the final call.

Minami, still panting, looks down at her blade in disbelief. _Why didn't you come out, Flarien?_ Then she turns and staggers out of the arena. Bushi tries to follow his sister, but Jeong places one hand on his shoulder.

"Leave her alone. She wouldn't listen to even you right now." he tells the pre-teen.

"I wonder what happened. Minami-san isn't one to get beat up so easily. What's wrong with Flarien?" Kyotu asks her teammates.

_With Minami_

"What the heck?! Flarien, why aren't you listening to me?" Minami shouts as she rips her blade once more. She was in the woods behind the hotel. "Ow!" she cringes as her arm oozes more blood. It made it hard for her to grip her launcher. "Come on Flarien!"

Suddenly, a shiny pink blade lands in front of Flarien and starts attacking it ferociously. A teenage girl jumps down from a nearby tree. As she flips her bright pink hair around to face Minami, she recognizes the neko-jin.

"What's the matter? Flarien won't listen to you?" Mariah asks, a hint of humor in her eye. Minami's face hardens as she looks at the pink-haired teen. She reaches out and calls her blade back before menacingly marching away.

"I have no use to talk to you." Minami informs the girl, over her shoulder.

"I know what your problem is. You were thinking about Rei during your battle weren't you?" Mariah asks her. Minami stops dead in her tracks and swiftly turns back.

"What did you just say?" Minami retorts in anger.

"Well, it's obvious. Your couldn't unlock your Bit Beast because your mind wasn't fully on the battle. Your mind was wandering to Rei. Am I right?" Mariah continues, raising one eyebrow.

"That's not true…" the dark-haired teen replies more certainly than she felt.

"When you're in battle, you have to be totally in-sync with your blade. You can't be thinking about other things." the neko-jin informs her. Minami looks at her cautiously. Something about this girl…just ticked her off. She didn't know if she should trust her.

"Why are you being so nice to me all of a sudden?" Minami asks the girl gingerly.

"I want to make sure that you aren't some weakling that I have to face tomorrow." Mariah answers matter-of-factly. But Minami could see something else. Behind those cat-like eyes was something sinister. Something she couldn't put her finger on at the moment. All of a sudden, Mariah pulls a cloth out of nowhere and wraps Minami's arm in it.

"Good luck tomorrow. You're going to need it." And with that, Mariah leaps off into the trees and disappears.

_I don't know…her advice was good, but her intentions didn't seem right._

Minami gets concentrated and then launches her blade. She closes her eyes and feels Flarien's fighting spirit well up inside her.

"Now Flarien! GO!" Minami shouts as her eyes flash open. Suddenly, the familiar looking fox appears by her side, a fierce glare apparent in her Bit Beast's eyes. Satisfied, Minami picks up her blade and slumps down against a tree. Having very little sleep the night before and losing a lot of blood, she drifts off into a restless night's sleep…forever.

The next morning, Minami woke with a start. _Wha? Whoa…what a night. _She looks down at her bandaged arm and frowns. _I guess I'd better thank that pink-hared baka for this. Maybe before the match today…_ The teen gets up and heads back to the hotel. 

"WHERE THE HECK WERE YOU?!" Kyotu clamors as she spots Minami sauntering up to her in the hotel lobby. "WE WERE WORRIED ALL NIGHT!"

"Well, I'm here aren't I?" Minami answers in a monotone. She looks around. "Where's Bushi?" she asks, looking a little worried.

"I'm right here." her brother says as he walks toward the group. Jeong was at his side, rapidly scarfing sown a donut. "We're going to crush those White Tigers today, aren't we?" Bushi encourages his teammates excitedly. His animated face causes Minami to give him a half smile.

_In the arena_

"C'mon, Kyotu! Crush that green-haired idiot!" Jeong and Bushi shout, raising their voices against the roar of the audience. As you may have been able to tell, Kyotu was in a heated battle against Kevin, from the White Tigers. He had just started his Crazy Monkey attack, and Kyotu was beginning to falter.

"No, Rapid Eagle! Don't give up! Use your Talon Slash!" she yells. Instantly, her blade begins to smash the many illusions of Galman.

"Heh, heh, heh. Is that all you've got?" Kevin laughs. "Galman! Attack!" the short teen exclaims. With one swift movement, Galman slams powerfully into Rapid Eagle. Kyotu's green blade suddenly goes flying from the stadium.

_No! I lost? _She drops to her knees in defeat. Slowly and downheartedly, the strawberry-blond makes her way back to her team's bench.

"Hey. Don't feel too bad. You tried your best, didn't you?" Jeong attempts to pick his cousin's spirit up.

"Yeah, but sometimes your best isn't always good enough. Looks like you've got to train more." Minami scolds her teammate, firmly. Kyotu hangs her head in frustration. "I guess it's up to me to clean up your mess."

Minami steps up to the dish, a glare in her eye as she sees Mariah flaunt her way up to be her opponent.

"So, how have you been?" the neko-jin asks the dark-haired teen.

"It doesn't matter to you." Minami scowls then looks down. "I guess…thanks for your help last night." she continues, looking like she clearly didn't want to say that.

"No problem." Mariah answers. Minami was sure she saw a mocking smirk behind those "innocent" eyes.

After the countdown, Flarien and Galux land in the stadium and start circling around the dish, waiting for the other to make the first move. All of a sudden, Galux pounces over to Flarien and releases a series of attacks. Minami doesn't do a thing. She just stands there and looks down at the battle going on below, watching thoughtfully.

"Hm, letting your concentration slip already? Galux, Scratch Attack!" Mariah hollers as her blade charges after Flarien. Minami suddenly glowers at the "pink mop".

"You just made a big mistake. Just so you know, I don't take insults from anybody. So you can quit your lame sympathy act." she declares as flames of anger suddenly surround her blade. "Flarien, now's your chance. Dodge that attack and do your Smoke Shadow." Minami tells her blade in an eerily calm way. Flarien disappears as smoke fills the entire stadium.

" cough What the heck do you think you're doing?!" Mariah yells in fury.

"Making you eat your words! Now Flarien! Hit it where it hurts with your Flaming Ignition!" she shouts. Flames rip through the haze. A scratching metal sound is heard. Soon after, Galux lands outside the stadium, charred scratches distinctly visible. As Mariah bends over to pick up her blade, she turns her head over back to Minami.

"I'm not handing Rei over to you! You don't have a chance with him!" she rants in disgust and rage.

But Minami doesn't pay her any more attention as she walks back to her seat, where her team is cheering loudly. As she sits down, Minami looks up into the audience. Almost immediately, she picks out Rei's grinning face. _He came to see my match? And he's smiling at me, __no__t that pink-haired fool. _She turns away, trying not to blush.

"Now it's my turn!" Bushi exclaims excitedly as he races up to the stadium. Lee and him rip their blades. After a while, Lee calls out his attack.

"Galeon! Dark Lightning!" he growls, his bushy ponytail flying wildly. Bushi's face contorts as he gets some of the lightning from the attack.

"Bushi! You can do it!" Kyotu yells from the sidelines. Snapping out of her blushing moment, Minami's attention turns abruptly to Bushi's battle.

"Kid Dragoon!"

"Galeon!"

"FINAL ATTACK!" the two opponents shout at the same time.

Lightning and a huge tornado collide head to head. The entire room shakes with the intensity of the two attacks. Even Minami gets out of her seat with a frown of apprehension. After a few seconds, the wind knocks the lightning away as Galeon stops spinning.

"And the winner of this round is the Beastbladers! Congratulations! They will face the Baldebreakers in the finals two days from now!" DJ yells into his microphone. But above the excitement, Minami realizes something.

"Wait a minute! Something's wrong!" she says as she watches her brother's legs wobble as he crumples in a heap next to the stadium. Minami's eyes widen in shock as she rushes to his side.

"Bushi! Bushi, answer me!" she yells above the crowd's roar. The pre-teen slightly opens his eyes.

"Did you like my super attack?" is all he whispers as his head falls limp again.

"Hey! Somebody! Can't you see?! He needs medical attention!" Minami shouts at random people.

Finally, after what it seemed like hours, a medical crew runs to the scene. Though they are working as fast as they can, all Minami saw was slow motion: Bushi sluggishly being lifted onto a stretcher. The hospital workers trudging slowly out to the nearest exit. The audience's roar sounded like a dull moan as she was rushed after the crew, as if she was trying to run in water.

_Rei's POV_

He looks down at the stadium as the announcement of the Beastblader's victory is made. _Yes! They made it! _he thinks happily. The Rei glances back down just as Bushi collapses. He frowns, a look of concern in his eye. Rei watches as Minami rushes to her brother. Hospital workers speedily wheel Bushi out through the nearby exit. _Minami! I've got to get to Minami! _he thinks, frantically. But the audience, oblivious to the commotion down at the arena, moves at a snail's pace out of the stadium's doors.

_Later…MUCH later_

Rei finally makes it outside of the crowded arena. Sprinting over to the BBA hospital, his thoughts wander to Minami. _What is she feeling right now? She looked pretty scared earlier._ After he gets to the clinic's front desk, he flashes his ID card.

"Is there a patient here named Bushi? He's a beyblader that was just injured in a battle." he says to the lady at the front desk. After she looks on the computer log, she nods. He was admitted to go back to go find Bushi's room. The white, clean hallways seemed to last for an eternity as he swiftly walked through them. As soon as he arrived at the room, a nurse stopped him from entering.

"I'm sorry, but you can't go in there. Visiting hours are over and no one's allowed in there today." the nurse tells him. Rei looks into the hospital room through the little door window. He sees Bushi lying unconscious in the bed. His heart flutters as he spots Minami facing the outside window. Her hair that was neatly held up in a ponytail just an hour ago was now taken out. Her hair was now draped limply in front her face, as if to guard her from the outside world. She had her arms folded and looked confused, distraught, and angry.

"That young lady demanded to be in there with her brother. She was making such a fuss out here that we thought she would cause Bushi more harm out here than in there." The nurse continues, following Rei's gaze toward Minami.

"That sounds like something she would do…" Rei says to himself with a small smile.

"I don't see why she's so worried. Bushi should be released tomorrow. He only had a few symptoms of mild electrocution and fatigue." She explains as she walks away, looking at a clipboard. Looking back at Minami, he longed to reach out and comfort the teen; just to hold her and reassure her and to make sure that she knew everything was going to be OK. But then again, he was hoping to do that for the past year.

_The next evening_

Kyotu hears a knock at the door of her team's suite. She opens it and finds Rei standing there, a small smile on his face.

"Oh, hey Rei! Come on in." Kyotu greets him.

"Thanks Kyotu-chan. I've got to tell you, you did really well yesterday even if you didn't win. Kevin's a pretty tough opponent…trust me, I should know." Rei says as he looks around the hotel suite. Kyotu's spare blading parts were scattered around on the table. Remnants of Jeong's lunch of five pizzas were all over the counter. Bushi's running jacket was hanging on the back of the front door. But he saw no trace of Minami. Kyotu noticed his eyes glancing around the room.

"If you're looking for Minami-san, she's not here. After Bushi was allowed to come back today, she left for the entire day. No one's seen her." the blonde tells the neko-jin.

"I know she disappears a lot, but for the whole day? That doesn't sound like her." Rei frowns.

"She only does this one time a year. Today's the ten year anniversary of the day her parents died." Kyotu speaks sadly. "They died in a car accident when she was only six-years-old. Bushi was two at the time, so he doesn't really remember them. Ever since the accident, she's closed up more and more to the outside world. The only one she expresses feelings for is Bushi, and now you." Kyotu goes on.

"So Bushi's her only family?" Rei asks in disbelief. Kyotu nods.

"We accepted the two of them to come live with Jeong and I. Then we all joined the BBA and it seemed as if Minami came alive again as she faced new opponents, and even more after she met you." Kyotu admits. Rei looks down with a smile, a small flame of rapture starting to burn inside him. Looking up, he spots an open window.

"Do you often leave that open? It's kind of cold tonight." he asks.

"It's the only way Minami goes in and out. She refuses to use the door like any normal person." she replies, while rolling her eyes.

_She's not your everyday kind of girl…_Rei says to himself. "Do you mind?" he questions, motioning to the window.

"Be my guest." Kyotu muses. In one swift novement, Rei was out the window. "Heh! Those two are so meant for each other." she giggles as she watches Rei jump out in the same exact style Minami did.

_Outside_

_Wow…Minami jumps all the way down here?…Well she never ceases to surprise me,_ he thinks, impressed as he looks up at the 21 floors he just leapt past. _Minami, where are you?_

After jogging through the woods, he spots her staring over a hidden lake. He caught his breath as he catches sight of her unwavering body. Her form was stiff and rigid, hair still hanging down limply at her shoulders. Her hands were clenched in fists at her sides as if she was desperately trying to hold onto something but had nothing.

_Somehow, she's able to keep all her emotions inside her, expertly. How does she do it? Why does she? _he thinks as he approaches the teen. When he gets ten feet away from her, she turns her head to face him. He notices her eyes glossed over and for the first time, they seem unarmed.

"Hey Minami-san." Rei acknowledges as he stands next to her.

"Hey." Minami answers, looking back over the lake.

"I heard what happened to your brother. It's good that he's not seriously injured." he tries to look on the bright side.

"No. Any injury inflicted on him is horrible. And it's my fault. He's only twelve years old. I shouldn't have let him fight that battle." she accuses herself, angrily.

"Minami-san, he wanted to fight in that round. You didn't know he was going to get hurt. Lee is a tough opponent. He won't give up easily. You can't predict the future." Rei points out the last part gently.

"But, it was my duty. I-I had to protect him. I promised my parents that I wouldn't let anything happen to him. And now here he is on pain medication. And I hate myself for it." Minami as angry tears spring into her eyes. Rei places both hands on her shoulders and forces her to look at him.

"You can't promise to not let anything happen to someone. Bushi has his own life to live. If nothing ever happens to him, he won't ever learn. And as for your parents, they just meant that you should take care of him. You shouldn't hold in all of your emotions and his. It's not fair. All this time you've been looking over him, I know your parents would be proud." he says, convincingly. Minami looks up at him with wide eyes. Then, all of those emotions that she had held in for al those years exploded into silent tears of relief.

_Someone finally understands me, _is all she could think as her crying form trembled in his arms.

"It's OK. Everything is going to be fine." Rei whispers as he pulls her against his body.

"You don't know how long I've waited to hear those words." she says thankfully. Rei smiles tenderly and gently held her in his arms for a while longer.

* * *

**AWWWW! Well that's chapter two! Chapter three will be the last one in this trilogy, so be on the lookout for it. Make sure to submit a review so that I can have some constructive critisim for my next works of "art". Oh! And if it wasn't dor my friend, Twin Psychoes, I wouldn't have known that I could review a story w/o an account on this website. So I'll pass that information on to you. Even if you don't have an account, you can review my story! So please, do so!**


	3. A Future?

**Last Chapter guys! Aren't you proud? I am! Anyway, this chappie holds a BIG flashback. So until you read "End Flashback" in the italicized writing, the flashback doesn't end. I love flashbacking. When I do, I laugh at random moments…it freaks people out.XP But…I hope you like the concluding chapter of ****Breaking through the Darkness!**

**Disclaimer: I don't Beyblade in any way (tears). But even so, I LOVE IT TO DEATH!**

* * *

**A Future?**

_The Next Morning_

"Wha!" Minami wakes with a start. For once she is sleeping in a bed. Normally, she would've been in the woods training or sleeping outside. As she collects her thoughts, she remembered her "moment" from the night before. _Aw man…I totally broke down last night, and in front of Rei, too! Aw. What kind of idiot am I? Why did I have to go and do that?…OK, snap out of it, Minami! Your real mission is to beat the Bladebreakers tomorrow._

And with that, the teenage girl got up and gets ready. Minami dresses in a dark no-sleeve shirt and black, baggy shorts. Trying to hurry, she doesn't bother to wake her teammates, or to get breakfast, but pulls her hair up in a quick ponytail. On her way out, she grabs Flarien from the dresser beside her bed, and jets out of her and Kyotu's shared room. As she heads to the kitchen window, she abruptly stops, looks out, then turns and walks out the front door.

_With Rei_

The teen jolts awake and tries to blink away the sleep. His mind drifts back to last night. _She seemed so tiny, trembling in my arms. I would do anything to keep her from feeling that pain again. I need her…_he thinks as he throws on his clothes. He glances at the clock on the way out, surprised that he slept that long. Even Tyson had already woken up and left. Looking down at Driger, whom he held, he whispered, "I have to tell her today," with conviction. Then, grabbing a bagel on the way out, he headed off to the Bladebreaker's and Mr. Dickinson's meeting.

_Later_

Rei leaves the BBA's central building, and after ditching an overly hyper Max, a fretting Chief, and a starving Tyson (Kai had mysteriously left somewhere…), he heads off to the woods behind the hotel.

After dashing through the trees for a while, Rei sees a blur out of the corner of his eye.

"LET IT RIP! FLARIEN, GO!"

He turns and catches sight of Minami training up a storm. As soon as her blade bullets from her launcher, Minami drops to the ground and begins doing swift push-ups. As she easily goes up and down, Flarien circles in and out between her arms and legs, showing almost perfect concentration and synchronization. Rei quietly observes her from behind a nearby tree, not wanting to break her focus.

All of a sudden, Minami jumps up and with Flarien by her side, jogs to the far side of the clearing of trees, and turns around. She begins jogging back, her and her blade picking up speed. As they reach the near side of the clearing, she and Flairen separate at the exact same time. Minami leaps and commences racing up the side of the tree, on foot, while Falrien skims effortlessly up the tree next to hers. As Minami loses her grip on the trunk, she places all her weight into one foot, and propels away from the tree, doing a graceful back flip. In midair, Falrien sails into her awaiting hand just before she touches the ground. Panting, Minami suddenly looks up to see Rei approaching from behind one of the trees, an astounded look was apparent in his honey-colored eyes.

"Wow…" is all he could say. She looks down, sub-conscious of her appearance at the moment. Rei noticed this action. Her slightly tanned skin was glossy with perspiration and her dark clothes clung to her slim, but muscle lined figure. Her face was beaded with sweat as some of her loose strands of hair hung down and stuck to her forehead and to the back of her neck. He also noticed her flushed face, and he wondered if it was from her workout, or if she was blushing. "That was…great! It even rivals my own training. How'd you learn to do that?" Rei asks.

"My parent…they were professional beybladers. They retired from the BBA when they married and had Bushi and I. But they never gave up on blading. They taught me some awesome training techniques," her eyes shining with admiration. "But then, the accident…" her voice cracks as emotion rises in her throat. Sensing this, Rei sets a reassuring hand on one of her shoulders. She swallows and looks away. "Listen, about last night…Sorry for talking your ears off with my complaints. It's never happened before. I don't know what came over me. I'm sorry."

All of a sudden, she feels Rei's strong arms crushing her against him in a gentle hug, not caring how sweaty she was.

"It's OK. You need someone to talk to. You can always come to me and tell me how you feel…and I'll listen." he whispers.

"Arigato, Rei-kun." Minami replies softly.

_So this is what the real Minami is like…_Rei thinks as they pull away from each other and gaze at each other. "You know, you shouldn't train so hard. Our match is tomorrow, and I don't want you to be too tired to fight." Rei jokes around, putting on a serious face. Minami laughs, a smile breaking through her usual leave-me-alone face.

_That Evening_

The night before the big finale of the tournament, the BBA hosts a huge dinner party where all of the participating teams can get together and mingle. Anyway, it was Bushi's first time out of the hotel suite, and Minami was fretting over him. All the way down to the dining area, she made sure that everyone that came within five feet of him was immediately sent a death glare.

"You know, Minami, he's better now. Bushi can take care of himself." Kyotu sweatdrops as Minami nearly tackles a pedestrian who was trying to take a picture of Bushi.

"I wonder if they'll have tacos…" Jeong says aloud.

"Idiot. Always thinking about your stomach!" Kyotu yells angrily while hitting him in the side of the head.

"Hey! You're only going because Max is there! Quit picking on me!" Jeong shouts back, holding his throbbing head. But Minami is zoning the bickering cousins out.

As soon as they reached the dining hall, the Beastbladers separated. Kyotu immediately went to find Max, and Jeong went to attack the buffet.

Now, Bushi, if you even feel the slightest bit weak, come and get me and we'll go back to the hotel at once." Minami says, looking down at his young face.

"OK." Bushi replies, looking slightly annoyed.

"Oh, and your tie's not straight." she continues, fixing it.

"OK, Minami, thank you, but like Kyotu-chan said, I can take care of myself." Bushi tells her. Minami gives him a half smile.

"I know. And I've been thinking. Maybe it's time I stop acting like your mother. You're almost a teenager now, and I've been treating you like a kid. You can act on your own. So get out there, and have fun. But don't you dare end up like those bakas, or I'd never forgive myself." Minami tells him, motioning to Tyson and Jeong at the buffet, downing everything they could get their hands on.

"Really?" Bushi asks, "Thanks!" Minami nods to the party and watches as her brother grins and goes out to join his other blader friends.

Now, Minami was never good with people. And she was just fine with that…up until she met Rei. Anyway, Minami looked out at the massive crowd of bladers, media, and fangirls, and decided that it would be much better, and safer, to head outside.

The night was clear and crisp. Only a few wispy clouds were outlined along the horizon. As Minami made her way to a meadow in the center of the woods, she took a refreshing breath of the cool, night air. She took a seat on a huge rock in the middle of the clearing, and pulling her knees up to her chest, looks up into the sky. The moon was full and about as close to the Earth as it could get. She felt a pang in her heart as her thoughts wandered back to the day she found out about her parents' death.

_Flashback_

"Could Hitorino, Minami come down to the office, please?" The announcement shattered the silence of young Minami's test-taking classroom.

_YES! Daddy and Mommy said they would come and pick me up today for a trip to the ramen shop. No Bushi-chan either! Just in time, right before the test started, too!_ Minami thinks, excitedly, pumping her fist in the air as she grabs her backpack, slings it over one shoulder, and jets out of the classroom door. She enters the school's clean hallway, various posters of students' bright and colorful work lined the walls, hoping to have people see what a good job they did. Her traditional uniform skirt swayed back and forth as she raced toward the front of the school. But when she reaches the main office, she senses something totally different than the bliss she had just felt. For in the windows surrounding the office, she didn't see her mom or dad anywhere. Instead, she heard Bushi wailing.

As she opened the door leading into the office, she spots her two-year-old brother's trembling figure seated on one of the chairs, surrounded by secretaries, looks of condolence on their faces as they try to comfort him. They all look up as she enters.

"One-san! One-san!" Bushi cries as he rushes to his older sister. Tears stream down his face as she envelops him in a sisterly hug.

"What did you do to him? And where's Mommy and Daddy?!" Minami demands of the secretaries as she tries to comfort her brother. The ladies exchange sympathetic looks as one of them kneel down in front of Minami, looking into her eyes.

"I really don't want to do this, honey. But on your parents' way over to the school, there was an accident. They had a green light, so they headed through the intersection. But as they went through, a car coming from the side ran the red light and rammed into your mom and dad's car. I'm sorry, but they both died instantly." The secretary tells the youth, placing one comforting hand on her shoulder. Minami just stands there as she processes this through her head. She drops her arms from around her brother, and her backpack, hanging limply over one shoulder, falls to the ground.

"No. NO! YOU'RE LYING! WHY ARE YOU LYING TO ME?! THEY DIDN'T DIE! THEY COULDN'T HAVE!" Minami screams at the top of her lungs, tears forming in her eyes.

"One-san!" Bushi cries once more as Minami throws her arms around him. Bawling, they both cling to each other for support.

Later that night, Minami and Bushi are sent to a neighbor's house to be until the funeral and until the two could find a new, permanent home. In one of the spare rooms upstairs, two mattresses were laid out. One held Bushi the other held Minami. Bushi was sound asleep, making little whimpering noises every few minutes. Minami lay awake, looking up at the ceiling.

_Why? Why did they have to die? We have no place to call home now, _Minami thinks, sadly. Then she looks up at the window. Outside was a huge, full moon. _Mommy? Daddy? Why'd you have to die? I miss you. I'll take care of Bushi-kun for you. I promise to never let anything bad happen to him, even if I have to watch over him from now on..._ she says quietly to the moon, as if she could talk directly to her parents if she did so. She looks back at the ceiling. _Bushi-kun doesn't know fully what's going on. He doesn't understand that Mommy and Daddy were killed. And now that I'm bawling my eyes out, he thinks that he should, too. If I don't cry anymore and I show him that nothing's wrong, maybe he won't cry either…_ she thinks, determinedly as she falls into a restless night's sleep. All of her sleeps were like this from now on, even after the funeral, three days later.

At the funeral, numberless amounts of people came up to the siblings, paying their respects, even if the two had no idea of who the tall people were. Inside the guests' minds, they all thought the same thing.

_Why isn't that little girl crying? She lost her parents! If that 's not a reason to cry, I don't know what is! She's just sitting there, looking like nothing's wrong. I can understand the boy; he's too small to know what's going on. But the girl is scowling! She's only seven years old!_ they all thought in disbelief as they watched the siblings from a distance.

Bushi looks from the two caskets in the front of the room to his sister, not knowing how to react. "Minami-one? Why Mommy and Daddy in box?" he asks in a small voice. The toddler had just recently learned how to talk. Minami glances down at her brother, showing no emotion on her face, or in her voice.

"They died, Bushi-kun. They won't be there when we come home anymore." she answers, looking away.

"Why? I want them to come back, one-san." He says, a frown crossing over his young face.

"They're not coming back." Minami tells him bluntly, trying to hide the rising emotion in her throat. Tears well up in Bushi's dark eyes, but he takes a look at her unmoved face and swallows, but doesn't cry though his bottom lip trembles.

Later that day, the two were outside their neighbor's house. Minami was trying to steady her launcher and blade in her hand as Bushi watched in fascination.

"Flarien, GO!" she yells as she launches her blade down the sidewalk, sparks flying as her blade picks up speed. Hearing voices behind her, Minami calls her blade back to her hand and turns to face an approaching boy and girl. They looked remotely similar, as if they were related some how.

"Hey, aren't those the kids that lost their parent in the big car accident?" the boy points and whispers. Hearing this, Minami' look turns into a fierce glare. The blonde girl punches him in the arm and says,

"Don't say that! They've been through a lot, so shut-up!" she yells at the cringing boy. She turns to the siblings and scratches the back of her neck. "Heh, heh…sorry about that. My cousin is a little 'special', if you get my drift. My name's Kyotu, and that idiot over there is Jeong." She introduces herself, then jabs her thumb in her cousin's direction.

"I'm Bushi! And that's one-san!" Bushi grins like a kid anxiously waiting for some ice cream. Kyotu bends down to smile at the young boy.

"Hi there, Bushi-kun!" she greets him, then looks up at Minami. "An you are…?" Minami turns away from glaring at Jeong to looking at Kyotu.

"…Minami…" she answers, darkly, not accepting the blonde's outstretched hand.

"Well, it's nice to meet you Minami-san! Look, my family heard you needed a place to stay, and we have two extra rooms. So do you want to come live at our house?" Kyotu asks the two. Bushi gasps with excitement. Minami looks away, thinking for a moment. Then she turns to see Bushi's pleading face.

"I guess we could try it." she finally answers, reluctantly.

"Yay!" the young boy claps his hand in happiness.

"Only, you guys better not take any of my food!" Jeong chimes in, putting on a pout. Bushi laughs but in an instant, Kyotu had hit her cousin in the side of the head.

"Baka! Be nice!" she shouts.

"You shouldn't be talking…" Jeong says under his breath as he tries to sooth his sore head.

"Hey, I saw you blading earlier! You're pretty good. We have a stadium at our house. Jeong and I blade, too." Kyotu goes on excitedly.

"Me blade, too!" Bushi exclaims, holding up his blade, a little too big for him to carry it one hand.

"This is so cool! We might even be able to start a team someday!" Kyotu grins as the four head back to go "home".

_End Flashback_

The usual memory that brought her sorrow gave Minami a feeling of healing and accomplishment. After all, she had reached her goal to protect her brother and to become a world-class beyblader. Still looking up at the moon, Minami's thoughts wander back to her parents. In one of her pockets, she fishes out the old picture of 10 years ago, when her parents were still alive. In it, Minami was laughing her head off as she looked at her dad, who was crossing his eyes and sticking out his tongue. Her mom, at his side, was smiling, holding Bushi, who was wide-eyed, staring at the camera. She was moving his hand in a waving motion. Altogether, they looked as happy as could be. Minami looks at it with a small smile. Then she gazes back up at the moon.

"Mom? Dad? I still miss you. But…I kept my promise. Bushi-kun is safe and happy. For all these years, I thought no one in this whole world could ever understand me…the real me. So I tried to distance myself away from the world and everyone in it. But even that didn't keep a certain someone from getting to know me. I finally found someone who listens to me and helps me stand when I can't hold myself up alone. You would like him, guys. I just hope that I've grown to be a person that you both are proud." Minami whispers to the moon. As she does, a sweet calmness drapes over her soul. Feeling a deep sense of gratitude, she lets one single tear fall down her cheek.

"Now, I that a tear I see?" a figure asks a figure as he approaches the teen. Minami turns her head to see a concerned looking Rei coming toward her. He tilts his head to the side and gently wipes the tear away.

"Are you OK?" he questions, earnestly looking down at her. She nods and looks back up at the sky. Quietly, he takes a seat next to her, cross-legged, on the huge rock. Then he spots the picture lying face up in front of her. He chuckles when he sees the young Minami's face lit up in an ecstatic grin.

"Heh, I was really young back then…" Minami says, embarrassed.

"Oh, no. I was just…you were…really cute back then." Rei replies meeting her gaze. His heart rate sped up at the sight of her. Because of the dinner going on at the BBA, she was semi-dressed up. Though it was a formal occasion, she still refused to wear a skirt. Her light brown shirt contrasted nicely with her dark hair. He also thought that it brought out the color in her eyes. Her hair was held back in a headband, though her bangs still hung down in front of her forehead, framing her face. He clears his throat and looks back at the picture. "Are they your parents?" he asks. She nods solemnly. "They look like really nice people." The neko-jin continues. He notes that she looked a lot like her dad, but took after her mom with the occasional smile.

"They were really nice…. I was just talking to them," she agrees, pointing to the moon, "And no, I'm not crazy so don't ask." she responds, bluntly. Rei's low laughter rings out through the meadow.

"a. I would never call you crazy, Minami-san, and b. what did you tell them?" he asks, looking at her once more.

"Well, I let them know that I took care of Bushi-kun. And then, I explained why I had turned kind of distant all these years, and how I finally broke through it…" her voice trails off as she realizes what she said after that.

"And…?" Rei urges her on.

"And, I told them about you." Minami confesses, looking at him. Rei raises one eyebrow and looks up at the moon, amber eyes glimmering, for he knew that the time had come.

Not taking his eyes away from the moon, he asks, "What did you say about me?", trying to steady his voice. Minami takes a deep breath and continues.

"I said that you helped me see that something good is inside me. You are the one who really understands me. You help me stand when I'm about to fall. You make me feel…special," she tells him, a blush creeping its way across her face. Rei freezes for a moment. Then he directs his gaze to Minami again.

"I think we should stop ignoring the feelings we both have for each other, Nami," he starts slowly. Minami's heart skips a beat when she hears the nickname with no honorific at the end. "Like you said, you make something stir inside me. It's hard to think when you're not around. When I see you, my heart goes haywire. I've felt this way since last year when I first got to know you, and that feeling has been growing ever since. You complete me, Nami." Rei confides, deeply. A warm, sweet gust of wind rushes past the two, tousling Minami's limp, dark hair. Rei moves it away from her face, his fingers gently lingering on her cheek. "Don't you see, Nami? I love you." he says earnestly, meeting the gaze of her cinnamon-colored eyes.

Minami, never very good at expressing her feelings, just encloses her arms around his waist. "I love you, too, Rei." she finally says quietly against his neck. The bliss those two felt at that moment was unexplainable. Knowing how much the other felt about them and knowing that they wouldn't have to hide it from each other anymore was the best feeling in the world. All I know is that Rei's face lit up in a tender smile and Minami felt the sweet calmness of being held in his arms. As they broke apart, Rei placed a soft kiss on her forehead.

"So, do you want to head back to the BBA party?" he asks, a grin crossing over his face showing his fangs.

"I guess…. I need to check on Bushi-kun and make sure he's alright…" Minami replies, giving the neko-jin a small smile. They head back to the dining hall, hand in hand. And who know, this may have been the start of something new. music notes

_The next day_

The entire Beastbladers team showed up to the tournament a half hour early. This gave them time to take care of last minute preparations. Jeong had run off to get a quick snack, and Kyotu was making sure her hair looked just right. Bushi fiddled with his blade, waiting with anticipation. Minami left the group to take a walk through the arena before the audience was allowed into the stands.

As she strolled above the seats in the quiet hush of the arena's hallway, she stared down at the Beystadium with pride. _This is it. This is what I've been waiting for,_ she thinks in admiration. _In a few moments, these seats will be filled, and I'll be downthere fighting for my dream._ She pulls out her blade and looks down at it. _Thanks Flarien._ The bit shines, anxiously awaiting their upcoming battle.

"Hey, Minami-san!" Jeong shouts from behind. She turns to see her team about fifty yards away. The three stood, motionless in the light coming from the doorway of the exit. All looked proud and excited. Behind them stood a BBA worker, waiting patiently.

"Ready to go?" Bushi asks her. Minami looks back down at her blade and nods.

"Yeah…" she answers, adding a small smile.

The BBA worker led the team to a small circular room beneath the arena and said, "You should all be proud. I would have never made it this far in a tourney when I was your age. Do your best out there guys." He turns and leaves the room.

The four stood still, waiting for their entrance. Above them, they could hear the roar of the audience in the stands that were just empty moments before. Out of nowhere came DJ's booming voice.

"Welcome everybody! I know that we're all excited to see this year's final round! So let's not waste any time. Our first team to enter will be the Beastbladers. After just two years of blading at a world-class level, this team is here facing the heated battles of the final round. Let's welcome the Beastbladers!" he shouts into his microphone. The floor beneath the team rumbles, then starts rising as they begin to emerge from underground.

"Ready?" Kyotu asks.

"Yeah!" Jeong and Bushi answer at the same time. Minami doesn't say anything, but nods once, a determined look in her eye. The team finally reaches the altitude of the arena, and the circular floor stops moving up. As the audience catches sight of the team, loud cheers erupt from the stands. Minami looks up, not losing the fierce look on her face. She notices that the entire audience was packed up to the seams with anxious fans waiting to see the outcome of today's battles. She lets out a deep sigh as the next announcement is sounded.

"And now, the defending champs of the international tournament…the Bladebreakers!" Across the arena, the opposing team rose from the ground. More applause and cheers explode from the spectators.

Kai stood on the far side of the team; a glare in his eye was apparent as he crossed his arms, scarf flying in the wind. Next to him was an overly ecstatic Max, grinning ear to ear as he pumped his fist in the air. In the center of the team stood Tyson, smirking and rubbing one finger under his nose saying "Heh heh heh heh!" in his sly little way. (A/N: I have no idea why he does that…-.-). On Tyson's other side, Kenny clutched Dizzi close to his chest, sweating profusely with nervousness. And on the other far side of the team stood a calm, collected Rei. He looked unwaveringly up at the massive crowd, then coolly ran his eyes over his opponents.

In the back of the team, Jeong holds his arms up in the air, looking up at his fans. Beside him was Bushi, looking around as if he didn't believe he was actually here. Kyotu flips her hair over her shoulder and flashes a peace sign with a gigantic smile up at the audience. But in the front and center stood their admirable team captain, looking ready to take charge. His gaze remained on her for a few extra seconds. Minami was looking off into the distance, hands in her pockets, and a carried a firm appearance as she stood her ground. Rei smiles to himself as he realizes that she's doing exactly what they had planned yesterday. They weren't to let any personal feeling get in the way of the match today. He breaks his infatuated gaze at her as their teams turned and went to their separate benches.

"OK, let's get this round started! According to our random name-chooser thing, the first match will be between…Jeong and Max! Round two will be…Kyotu vs. Kai! We'll go from there! Will our Round 1 contestants make their way down to the stadium?!" DJ shouts.

_After the first three rounds_

The audience was in an uproar. The first match ended with Jeong barely winning. And Kai obviously easily won his match. So a tiebreaker round was held between Tyson and Bushi. It miraculously ended in another tie. So now the teams were down to their last two bladers to break the tie: Rei and Minami…something the two hoped it would not come to. Rei steps up the stadium first.

"Rei! Win this one for us, man!" Tyson yells, encouragingly.

"Yeah, you've got this one!" Max chimes in.

"Hey, Rei." Kai says. Rei looks back to his team captain. "Don't your feelings prevent us from a victory today." He continues, harshly, crimson eyes bearing into his teammate.

"I won't." Rei assures him and turns back to the stadium just as Minami steps up to her side of the dish.

_You can do this, one-san._ Bushi looks at his sister with confidence.

As the two opponents' eyes meet, sparks of electricity light the air between them. No one notices this except for them, though.

"Oh! It looks like this is going to be a sore match. It's been said by an anonymous source told me that these two may be more than just friends!" DJ exclaims for the world to hear.

Minami's face blushes a deep shade of red as she turns hastily to face Kyotu (obviously that "anonymous source"), a menacing glare in her eye. Kyotu looks back at her with a nervous smile as if to say "Heh, heh, don't kill me later OK?"

"Will one be able to win? Or will-" DJ gets cut off.

"DJ! Will you shut up and just start the match?!" Minami yells up at the startled announcer. Rei chuckles.

DJ, not expecting this outburst, says quickly "Yes…yes of course. The last round of the finals will take place in 3…!"

Minami and Rei get into their launching position, with determined looks as they meet each other's eyes once more.

"Nami…?" Rei begins.

"2…!"

"…Let's try our best."

"1…!"

"I plan to." Minami replies. Smiles break out on both of their faces.

"LET IT RIP!"

**Yay! Happy ending! I really loved writing this story, and I hope you were able to enjoy it as much as I did. Please post a review! And I hope you continue to read my other stories/poems. There's more where this came from!**


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